A Denim Expert Weighs In on the Jean Trends He Loves and How Many Pairs You Really Need to Own

There's a new denim brand that's taking the fashion world by storm and it's called Koral. The line, created by David Koral, son of the founder of 7 for All Mankind, sets itself apart from the denim pack thanks to their "live-in length" concept. "We offer live-in lengths of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24, and 36 and as you go through the spectrum more and more details are put in the jeans to emulate what an actual year wash should actually look like," explained Koral. I caught up the designer to chat denim trends he loves, hates, and how many pairs of jeans you really need to own.

Glamour: What denim trends are you absolutely loving these days?

David Koral: I’m loving the whole trend of going back to true indigo. The marketplace has been so oversaturated with colors, prints, pretty much any technique you can really do on denim, so we’re really trying to bring back the essence of what makes a great pair of jeans. And that’s a refined fit with finish and fabrication. But on top of that, we’ve been working on a leather coating or suede coating that we’ve ben playing with and we see that’s the direction that denim is going in the future.

Glamour: I think the whole coating thing is a great alternative if someone can’t afford a proper pair of leather pants.

DK: Yeah, that's a big reason why we try to offer it in our range. You can buy a beautifully coated pair of pants for $220 versus trying to get a pair of leather pants for probably minimum $800. We’re also coming up with different techniques like the suede coating and trying to emulate what an actual pair of suede pants would look like at a reasonable rate.

Glamour: Are there any denim trends you’re hating?

DK: I would say the whole color thing was really out there the past few seasons, and the whole print concept just seems really gimmicky to me. We’re just trying to keep the integrity of denim, of just doing really authentic washes that are a little more modern and keeping it very clean and minimal.

Glamour: If a woman is trying to pare down her closet, what are the key denim styles she should own?

DK: I would say you should definitely have a nice variety for your denim offering. You should at least have five pairs of jeans in your wardrobe that are your go-to’s. I feel like denim’s pretty much the staple of everyone’s wardrobe nowadays. If you can have that perfect blue rinse that you find attractive then you can also have a vintage wash or more distressed wash, a weekend boyfriend jeans, and a more sophisticated even a black, saturated pigment spray that you can wear to work or out. And then you can have one novelty item that stands out that you don’t wear every day because you don’t want to be that person who other people are like ‘they’re wearing that pant again’!;

What do you think of David's suggestions? Any other key pieces you think a woman should own? Discuss!